The production of Triple Frontier (2019)[1] cycled through numerous phases of developmental limbo before Paramount Pictures dropped the film, and Netflix stepped in to produce it. J. C. Chandor served as director, and Rich Vreeland (a.k.a Disasterpeace) composed the score with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich on drums. Netflix describes the plot of Triple Frontier as follows: “Loyalties are tested when five former special forces operatives reunite to steal a drug lord’s fortune, unleashing a chain of unintended consequences.”[2] It is listed as “Gritty, Exciting [and] Suspenseful,” and belonging to genres such as “Military Movies [and] Action & Adventure Movies.”[3] These descriptions highlight the fluidity of the perception of genre and how Netflix utilizes genre labels (and micro-labels) to position its films for its subscribers. This essay examines how Triple Frontier exhibits genre hybridity, how this is cued to the audience through the film’s soundtrack, and how Netflix leverages this practice.

     Action itself operates as a broad and malleable genre, and Netflix attempts to cater to further niche audiences through the use of hybridity. Through its ability to tag and label content, “Netflix curators tell us what counts as types of movies,”[4] and can present them as appealing to different groups based on these genre interests and distinctions. While the utilization of genre hybridity within Netflix projects can purportedly offer an innovative and interesting viewing experience, this seems a more strategic move than a display of meaningful creativity that is innovatively reshaping genre conventions and experimenting with format.

     Yvonne Tasker describes “[a]ction and adventure as cinematic forms [that] are manifest in a multiplicity of different genres and sub-genres that develop and change over time [with] the basic elements of physical conflict, chase and challenge … inflected in any number of different directions.”[5] Tasker distinguishes between action and adventure, associating the former with a sequence or scene, and the latter with more of a narrative or quest. In her estimation of action as both genre and mode, or storytelling method, it is ripe for hybridity and utilization in inter-generic contexts. In Triple Frontier, action’s hybridity is demonstrated as the movie transitions from heist to survival, and this pivot is sonically cued through the film’s score.

     As movie genres evolve, they take elements from other genres and subvert how they interact with and portray those conventions. As stated by Rick Altman, “It is simply not possible to describe Hollywood cinema accurately without the ability to account for the numerous films that innovate by combining the syntax of one genre with the semantics of another.”[6] Although genre hybridity can serve to innovate filmmaking, it also serves a strategic purpose for Netflix in its endeavors to apply various tags onto its films, increasing the chances that their originals show up in subscribers’ recommendations and are watched. “Genre has become intertwined with technical distinctions, term coding, tags/links functionality, and most importantly, Netflix’s business model,”[7] and by using genre as a business tactic, Netflix projects can aim to evoke multiple genres, thereby attempting to appeal to multiple audiences.[8]

     Triple Frontier combines the genre conventions of both a heist film and a survival film, and its employment of these genres is split into the first and second halves of the film. The first half of the movie introduces the main characters and depicts their reassembly as a crew as they discuss their plan. This sets audiences up to expect the film to operate within this genre, following the events of the donning of weapons and tactical gear, stakeout, heist, money recovery, and violent fight scenes. However, the heist is completed by the middle of the film. From this point on, the film’s genre transitions into an action-survival plotline, as the group flees Brazil, traveling by helicopter, foot, donkey, and boat, in mountainous terrain and downpours, to bring the money home safely.

     Alongside the visuals and dialogue indicating how the film interacts with and transforms genre, so, too, does the soundtrack cue the viewer into these tone and genre shifts. On emphasizing the dynamic movement in action films, Tasker states, “Music and sound play an important – and relatively underexplored – part in the action sequence/film, anticipating and complementing the sense of urgency expressed through character and vehicle movement.”[9] This article details a close analysis of a scene from the midway point of the film, where the score (through the track “Into the Wind”) demonstrates a shift from heist to survival.

            As Francisco “Catfish” Morales (Pedro Pascal) pilots the crew’s escape helicopter through the snow-capped Andes Mountains, a guitar sting plays over a building orchestral drone.[10] Its macho, cowboy-esque quality evokes the previously established energy and mood of the heist. A drumbeat sounds in the background, punctuating the growing tension of the scenario. As the helicopter climbs higher, it begins to struggle, and an alarm blares. The crew agrees to drop some of their stolen money, tossing duffel bags of cash out of the helicopter and into the mountain range below. The sun shines above the mountaintops as the helicopter continues to rise. The drums pick up again, more rhythmic this time, and the alarm continues, blending the diegetic and non-diegetic sound to further connect the urgency felt by the crew and the audience. Just as the group nears the peak, the engine sputters and emits black smoke, the helicopter dips, and the once-hopeful sun sinks back beneath the mountain. A crash landing is imminent. This visual descent matches the metaphorical descent of the story, which is supplemented by the depth and force of the drumbeats.

            The soundtrack enhances the tension of the scene and marks the point in the film where the genre pivots. Now devoid of the orchestral backing and punchy guitar riffs, the drum rhythm holds strong, increasing in volume, intensity, and speed. The crew brace themselves as the helicopter trembles, and the percussion, like a racing heartbeat and frantic marching all at once, matches the urgency of the dire, frenzied situation. The drumbeats also evoke both militaristic and tribal elements, connecting the crew’s special forces background with the naturalistic survival scenario in which they find themselves. The style and intensity of these “thunderous drums” aid in transitioning the genre of the film from a scheme-focused heist into a days-long trek.[11]

            This film operates within genres through a clean split at its midpoint, where it transitions from operating in the realm of one to the other. This shift is signified through the film’s score, particularly through its use of drums, as it moves from conveying the methodical energy of the heist to the rugged, naturalistic energy of survivalism. As the genre shifts, the score privileges drumbeats over its other instruments. In conclusion, Triple Frontier displays genre hybridity as an action film that combines elements of both the heist and survival genres, skillfully demarcated through its score. The use of genre hybridity serves as a useful asset for Netflix because it enables the film to appeal to potentially multiple different audiences, as the platform can utilize its tagging features to connect with these different interests.